Sweeps and SPD

[babybythesea]

I don't know if here or Childbirth is the best place to post. I'll start here and see what happens...

I am 19 weeks with DC2. Last time, I had issues towards the end of the pregnancy with the bump not growing - cue several emergency scans and the eventual discovery that my placenta was failing and I was losing fluid. It all went fine in the end - baby born healthy and a good weight (and a week overdue - they weren't so worried that they went in to get her out or anything!).

This time, I was referred by my midwife to see a consultant to put a plan of action in place in case it should happen again - midwife muttered about regular scans at the end, all booked in advance, to keep an eye on things.
I went to see the consultant (registrar as it turned out) who said that regular scans would make it too medicalised and it would be better just to keep a normal eye on things but she gave me an open appointment at the hospital which apparently will make it easier for me to get back there quicker if problems are identified. All well and good.

Then, she said just to be on the safe side they would start a programme of sweeps every day or two from 39 weeks. This was not joy to my ears. One of the biggest concerns I have is that I am already suffering quite badly with SPD. I have spoken to my midwife about it (in particular the concerns I have about the pain due to SPD during birth which last time was so bad that I couldn't hold the baby for a bit afterwards as I was so far 'out of it' trying to deal with the pain) and she is helping me plan a birth that hopefully avoids that situation arising again. Lying on my back with legs akimbo for the sweep is, I suspect, going to be very very painful. I pointed this out and the doctor shrugged and said "Well, you'll have to be in that position to be examined anyway, so may as well have the sweep, and if it speeds the birth up by a few days then that's less time suffering SPD, isn't it? Being pregnant for longer certainly won't help the SPD. Short term pain, long term gain." (This was after I had convinced her that I knew the actual sweep itself wouldn't aggravate the SPD - initially, she looked at me as though I was daft and said "No, it won't affect the SPD because it's two different places - SPD is in your pubic bone, the sweep is your cervix".)
I'm not happy with this. For a start, I had no internal exams last time until I was in labour so the idea that I will be in that position anyway and 'may as well have a sweep while I'm there' doesn't ring true. But my baby wasn't born in England last time - are there different procedures here?
Second, it just felt as though she thought SPD was insignificant - and yet I have horrendous memories of it causing agony due to the position I had to be in to give birth. I really don't want to do that every two days for a week or more.

DH says just to tell my midwife that I'm not going to have any sweeps, and if I go overdue again we'll cross that bridge then, but not start fiddling around the week before my due date. I don't want to ignore medical advice - obviously, if I have to endure a bit of pain to ensure a healthy baby I will. But I'm, quite frankly, terrified of the level of pain I was in before.

Not even sure what I'm asking really. Just wondering what your take on it all would be. Would you go for the sweeps knowing they are likely to be agony but done for the best? Or would you be sceptical about whether the sweeps would achieve much, and say no thank you?

I'd refuse the sweeps! Been having weekly scans myself due to small baby, they spoke about inducing me at 38 weeks (declined) then 39 weeks (but saw a different consultant last week who didn't think it was necessary). They attempted to give me a sweep at 37+5, I said I have SPD so won't open legs wider when she asked. Did have to be on my back with legs open but I only had legs in a position I felt comfortable with. Same with sweep at 38+5. They were uncomfortable for the SPD but not too painful as I had full control over where I'd put my legs. I also only really went with them because I don't want to be induced but if they'd said I'd have to have them every couple of days I'd have refused. My cervix has been closed each time anyway so apart from being uncomfortable would have also been pointless.
Also you don't have to be examined unless you want to be when you're in labour so you can limit the amount of examinations you have and then mention the spd so they don't start moving your legs around or anything!

Hope it all goes ok and you don't have to go down the loads of sweeps route!

Can't offer any advice for the sweeps, apart from don't let them move your knees further apart than is comfortable, but could you do some research about birth positions that won't be so painful with SPD? Thinking that gravity must help, along with keeping your knees together, but there must be more information out there about this.

At least, knowing good positions in advance might help you to feel less anxious about the prospect of another painful labour. Hope it all goes well for you.